Spirited Away
by Katlizabeth
Summary: It sucks being trapped in the spirit world, forced to work at a bathhouse run by a wizard called England. Luckily for Ludwig however, a mysterious young man named Italy has been looking out for him since day one. But who is this man, and why does Ludwig feel like he's met him before? Based on Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away.
1. Abandoned Places and Pigs

**Hello peoples! Thank you for checking this madness out, my Co-Author and I are very grateful. My Co-Author, Maple, is over at FFN's MagicalArchives! Check her out because she's awesome~ We plan to update this on a bi-weekly basis, hopefully we can write enough to keep up with that. So this fic is mainly Gerita, but it has lots of Spamano, Fruk and other pairings ^^ So we hope you enjoy, reviews and feedback are always appreciated :) We do not own Axis Powers Hetalia, nor do we own Spirited Away. ~Kat**

**Happy reading everyone! :) ~Maple**

* * *

"I still don't see why you don't just pull over and ask for directions."

Actually, truth be told, Ludwig wasn't even sure why his brother was even driving when his eyesight wasn't the best. He gave a sideways glare at his brother Gilbert- an albino man, aged twenty five, who was currently laughing his head off and saying something about being too awesome to ask for directions.

The two brothers were on their way to their new home- or rather, they were supposed to be. Ludwig was sure that Gil had taken at least ten wrong turns by now, and they were now driving on an old country road in the middle of no where, headed toward a forest.

"We're lost." Ludwig stated, unamused with his brother's antics.

"We're fine, we have four-wheel drive!" Gilbert smirked, speeding up.

"That's not the point!" Ludwig gripped his seat, hanging on as the road got progressively rougher. They had entered the forest now. It was strange; looking out the window, he could see more than just the trees flash by, but he couldn't make out what the other things were. "Slow down, you're going to kill us!" he turned, snapping at Gilbert.

"Woah, what's that!?" the white-haired man slammed on the brakes, causing both of them to jerk forward from the sudden halt.

Ludwig cursed, a hand coming up to rub at the place his seat belt had dug into his shoulder, though his ice blue eyes were fixated on the thing that had made his brother come to an abrupt stop.

There was a statue in the middle of the road- and now that he could get a good look at it, he knew that it must have been more statues he had seen among the trees. It wasn't fancy- it was old stone, eroded in places from the weather, and was rather short and bulky with no limbs. It did, however, have a carved face with deep eyes and a wide, grinning mouth. A very odd decoration indeed.

"Hey Ludwig, what do you reckon that is?" Gilbert pointed to what lay beyond the strange statue- a large arched entrance set into a large stone wall.

"I don't know. Gilbert we should- Gil!"

Gilbert had turned off and climbed out of the car, curiosity having gotten the best of him. "Oh come on Luddy! Let's go check it out!"

Ludwig frowned, unbuckling and stepping out of the car as well. "Gilbert, we have no time for this. The movers are going to get to the new house before we do."

"They have a key, they can start without us! Come on, where's your sense of adventure?" Gilbert said smirking, his red eyes gleaming mischievously, before striding into the tunnel-like archway.

"Get back here!" Ludwig ordered, alarmed. He had moved to stand next to the statue, and though he'd never admit it out loud- and least of all to his thick-headed brother- this place gave him the creeps. Just something about the air didn't sit right with him, and the way the wind seemed to nudge him forward, as if trying to lure him into the entrance, unsettled him greatly. "We don't have time for this nonsense! It's going to get dark soon and we're still lost! I mean it, get back here!" he raised his voice a little, his German accent coming out thick as he did so.

"Nah, I don't think so. Your big scary voice doesn't work on me, kesesesesese! I want to know what's on the other side! Look, I can see a light at the end!" Gilbert called back.

Ludwig groaned, and knowing that he couldn't let his elder (and idiotic) brother go off on his own, begrudgingly followed after him. Gilbert, seeing that he was finally coming, paused halfway through the tunnel to wait for him to catch up.

"So, what do you think is on the other side?" The excitement of adventure was evident in his voice- Gilbert really was like a child.

"More forest?"

"You're no fun Ludwig, you know that-hey, do you hear that?"

They paused, becoming silent. It was faint at first, but now that he was listening, Ludwig could hear it too. It was the unmistakable sound of a train.

"We must be close to some railroad tracks or something. Odd. I didn't see any, did you?"

Ludwig shook his head, though it was debatable if Gilbert saw the reply or not since he had started walking again, not waiting for an answer.

They reached the other side, and, Ludwig had to admit his assumption of there being more forest was wrong. Instead, the two brothers were met with a wide open field, so green and beautiful it was almost surreal. In it were more of those old stone statues, and to their left-

"Hey, what's that? What are those weird buildings? They look abandoned. Awesome! Let's go check it out!" and without waiting, Gilbert dashed across the field.

Ludwig called after him to wait up, but knew it would be useless. So instead, he broke out into a run too, just barely managing to catch up as Gilbert had to slow down to cross over a path of rounded rocks.

"These look like river stones...there's even a stream down the middle. It looks man-made though." Ludwig noted.

"They were trying to install a river?" Gilbert snorted, reaching the steps on the other side and holding a hand out to his brother to help him step up. Once Ludwig stood beside him, he turned to appraise the buildings again.

They were strange buildings- almost stranger than the statues. They were lined along what appeared to be an old street, some of them falling apart with age.

"This place looks like it used to be an old renaissance festival, or a theme park or something, eh Ludwig? These were vendors and carnival games." Gilbert gestured to the nearest structure. He then froze, and sniffed the air. "Hang on, do you smell that?"

Ludwig sniffed the air too, and could immediately smell what had caught his brother's attention.

"That smells awesome! Come on, we've got to figure out where that smell is coming from!" Gilbert tugged on Ludwig's arm, leading the way into the empty street, under lines of old paper lanterns, and deeper into the apparently abandoned town.

It didn't take long to find the one vendor that appeared to be brand new among all the other decrepit structures. This one seemed to glow- a food bar with freshly cooked goods still sizzling deliciously in the open air. Ludwig would admit that his mouth watered from the tantalizing smell.

"Hello in there! Does anybody work here!?" Gilbert called out, walking right up and taking a seat at the bar.

When no one answered, Ludwig frowned. "Gil, we should just go."

"And not try any of this? No way!" Gilbert snorted, and then called out again. "Anybody!? Oi! Who runs this place!? You've got customers!"

"I mean it Gilbert. Think about it, we're out in the middle of no where. This isn't right." Ludwig's brow furrowed.

"You worry too much! You need to learn how to just go with the flow sometimes." Gilbert smiled at him before helping himself to a plate.

"Gilbert!"

"Whaaaat? I'll just pay for it when whoever owns this place gets back, no big deal." Gilbert shrugged before digging in. "Scheiße! Luddy you've got to try this! It. Is. Awesome!" he exclaimed before taking more bites.

"I'll pass. I, unlike you, don't trust random food we find out in the middle of no where." Ludwig replied flatly.

"Suit yourself." Gilbert said between bites. "But damn, you have no idea what you're missing."

Ludwig had to look away in disgust as his brother's table manners had all but flown the coop. As he did so, his eyes caught a glimpse of something else that was rather curious.

"I'm going to go check something out Gil, you stay here."

"No need to tell me twice." his brother grunted, his mouth muffled with food.

Ludwig shot him a look of highest disapproval before moving out, his eyes again casting upward to look at the strange black smoke in the sky that had peaked his interest. So he strolled through the street, glancing around at the old buildings, and climbed a staircase, all the while following the smoke back to it's source.

Finally, he stood in front of what had to be the biggest building he had yet seen in the ghost town. This building, like the vendor's stand where he had left his brother, looked new, and the smoke that had led him to it issued from a smokestack just beside it. A large bridge connected the street to the entrance of the-

"Bathhouse?" he read a sign. What a weird place for a bathhouse- weren't those more common in Japan? He stepped forward onto the bridge, drawn in by the absurdity of it. A noise distracted him though, and he looked over the side of the bridge, blinking when realized he was looking down into a ravine, at the bottom of which was-

"Well, I found the train." he mused.

A sharp gasp came from the direction of the bathhouse and broke Ludwig's solitude. The blond turned his head to locate the source of the noise, and standing there before him on the bridge was a boy not much younger than himself. He looked strikingly Mediterranean with auburn hair and eyes that almost shone gold in the light of the setting sun; his features made the Japanese style clothes he was wearing look strange on him.

The boy's eyes were wide, his brows knit in concern. Ludwig was perplexed by such an expression, and was startled when the boy approached him.

"Ve…. You aren't supposed to be here! You need to leave immediately!" The boy spoke urgently in a thick Italian accent.

When Ludwig didn't move the brunet latched on to his sleeve, looking to the German's eyes pleadingly.

"Please, it's going to be dark soon! You need to leave now!" The Italian's head snapped to the nearby lantern, for it was beginning to ignite- along with the others in its row. The look in the Italian's eyes had gone from worried to frantic in that moment and he pushed Ludwig.

"Mio dio, they're lighting the lamps. Go now! I'll try to distract them."

Ludwig heeded him, and bolted in the opposite direction just as the Italian turned to address the bathhouse, conjuring golden scales into his hands; he exhaled over them, and they flew like cherry blossom petals into the air before him. Hopefully with that little magic, the authority wouldn't notice the human on the premises…

...

After he had run down a complete set of stairs, the shock of having actually met someone else out here wore off, and Ludwig paused, looking back toward the top of the steps. "What was up with him?" he wondered, somewhat annoyed now that he had been shooed away like that.

He thought about marching right back up the stairs and asking that boy what he was on about, but his attention was then caught by the lighting lamps. It was peculiar. Just earlier, the lamps had looked too old to still be functional, and yet here they were, lighting up, gleaming, good as new.

In fact, now that the town was full of that glow in the quickly setting sun, 'all' the buildings appeared to be repaired...almost like magic.

Suddenly feeling very out of place, he broke into a run once more, the boy on the bridge the least of his concerns; he needed to get back to Gilbert- NOW.

As he ran, other things he couldn't explain began happening. As the night sky appeared, shadows began to move, waving inside the brightly lit shops, strolling through the streets. Ludwig accidentally ran through one of them, momentarily thrown off by the unknown force.

"Gilbert!" he yelled, feeling very out of his element as he barreled down the street and skidded to a halt, looking at his brother's back. "We've got to get out of here, there's something hap-mien Gott!" he stared in shock.

His brother was still sitting where he had left him, but it was more than obvious that he had overeaten. His clothes were straining, and he looked ready to fall off the stool he sat on.

"Gilbert, come on, you've had enough, any more and you'll pop. I don't care how awesome you think the food is." Ludwig put a hand on his brother's shoulder, shaking him a bit. "We need to leave!"

The sound that then escaped his brother's throat wasn't human. 'Gilbert' turned, looking at Ludwig, snout snorting, mouth still full of food, ears flopping. Ludwig stepped back from the pig in alarm. What was this? Some kind of cruel joke? He wouldn't put his brother past it; though he'd admit this would definitely be one of his more elaborate schemes.

He stepped out back to the street. "Ok Gil, you win, you've had your laugh, this isn't funny anymore!" he called. No snide remarks or hissing laughs answered him. "I mean it Gil! I've had enough of this, I'm going back to the car!"

Ludwig jogged back toward the meadow, still dodging around the weird almost-solid shadows. When he reached the place where the river-stone path had been, he stepped down into something he hadn't expected. He pulled back out, wide eyed, and couldn't help but gasp at the large, wide lake- or was it an ocean?- that now covered what had once been such beautiful lush green open field.

He stumbled back in disbelief, promptly falling on his butt. Lights out across the sea of water seemed to be coming closer. It was almost like...like...oh no...it was. A boat was drifting nearer and nearer.

"This is insane." Ludwig breathed, trying to wrap his mind around it. There was just no way this was possible. This whole place was improbable. One does not simply find food out in the middle of no where. Shadows don't move like that. People do not turn into pigs. Meadows do not turn into oceans in less than an hour.

And then it clicked. "Of course! I must be dreaming." he muttered, rubbing at his arms for warmth. Now that the sun was completely gone, the night air was left with a cold, crisp feel. 'Ah, but I'm dreaming that too.' he mentally chided himself.

'I just need to wake up. I probably fell asleep in the car and Gilbert took advantage of that and started blasting some of his weird music. Yeah.'

Ludwig looked up, his gaze fixated on the boat as it drew closer. The ferry actually docked a few yards away from him.

And then more craziness; the doors on the ferry slid open all at once, and pieces of paper floated out, moving as if marching in line. As they came ashore, the papers morphed into masks and grew shadow-like bodies.

"This is the weirdest dream I've ever had." Ludwig concluded, uncharacteristically but rightfully disturbed by the whole ordeal. "I just need to wake up and make this place disappear...it isn't real...I'll just wake up, the memory will fade away, and I'll forget this ever happened." he muttered to himself.

As soon as he said this, he noticed something off, and held out his hands in front of him. "I didn't mean I wanted to disappear!" he exclaimed, staring through his now translucent hands.

This was all too much. Too much. He forced himself to his feet, and hid behind a nearby bush. His sight of all the impossible things now blocked from view, he concentrated on waking up from this nightmare.


	2. Welcome to the Spirit World

The streets were in an uproar; a human had been caught stealing food, and as such had been transformed into a pig for punishment. The scene had everyone on high alert. It was rare for a human to make their way into their world, and now that it had been caught, the question that was on everybody's mind was 'Did it come alone?'. Needless to say, the attempt of distracting the authority of the bathhouse from the human presence in their world was futile.

The Italian ducked behind an alley way, quick on his feet to avoid being seen himself. He ascended concrete steps that lead to a grassy area behind the row of storefronts that lined the main stretch of restaurants. The brunet looked around; he could sense the human he was searching for was close by- there! Behind a bush of hydrangeas the Italian spotted a head of blond hair.

He was sitting, slouched over with his head in his hands; the perfect picture of disconcertion. His hair that was once slicked back was now messy and hung in his face, his pants were soaked from the knee down and the fabric was stained with grass and dirt. The Italian approached delicately, attempting not to scare the poor man. When he got close, he knelt down beside the blond and gently placed his arms around the blond's broad muscular shoulders, and when the German startled, he was quick to silence him.

"Shh, It's okay! Don't be afraid, I'm a friend. I'm here to help~" He insisted in a hushed voice.

The human looked up, his ice blue eyes widening as he recognized the boy knelt next to him. It was pretty much futile to to not be afraid though. He was completely out of his element, and worse, he wasn't waking up from this nightmare. To top that off, he was becoming even more transparent. "Just go away." he muttered- it most certainly didn't come out as a plea.

Ludwig tried to push the Italian stranger off him, but failed, as his hands went 'right through him'. He winced and curled back in on himself. He hated this. He didn't know how to deal with this. There were no instruction manuals that told him what to do should he ever find himself fading away from reality. Now he knew why his brother had always teased him for relying on the guide books so much...

The Italian was not surprised blond's transparency, and instead pulled something out of his sleeve pocket. He unwrapped a piece of chocolate and held it out for the German. "Here, eat this. It's yummy! Please, you have to eat some food from this world or you'll keep disappearing." When the blond simply stared back at the boy, he took the initiative and held up the candy to the man's lips. "Don't worry, you won't turn into a pig, I promise~"

He didn't want to. Ludwig really didn't want to. Nothing was making any sense, he was mentally freaking out, and the 'last' thing on his mind was food, the least of all chocolate. He opened his mouth to protest, which of course only gave the Italian the opportunity to stuff the piece of candy in. It was sweet, and melted on his tongue. He might of enjoyed it if the situation was different. But as he watched his hands slowly become whole again, the true taste was nothing short of bittersweet.

Questions. If this really was a new reality, Ludwig had so many questions- the first of which burst through whilst he tentatively reached out to touch Italian boy experimentally, testing to make sure he was again solid; the stranger took the hand firmly in his in response. "Did mein bruder really turn into a pig?" he asked, the German accent heavy in his voice from his stressed state. It felt ok though, to ask this boy questions. There was just something about him that was comforting somehow. Not to mention that the Italian 'had' tried to warn him to get out. Ludwig blamed himself for not taking that warning more seriously.

The brunet looked down and nodded to him regretfully, but then tried to give him a comforting smile. "You can't see him now, but you will. Everything will be okay just-"The Italian cut off, and his gaze drifted toward the sky. He abruptly leaned forward, shielding the German while keeping a concerned watch on the pastel green animal that was flying about fifty feet above their heads. It circled once, twice, three times before it moved on, flying out of sight. When it was gone the Italian stood up, his hand still holding firmly onto Ludwig's. "That flying mint bunny was looking for you, they know you're here. You need to get you to a safer place immediately."

It had been weird enough being shielded by a lad that was no where near his size, but even weirder was hearing the words 'flying','mint' and 'bunny' in the same sentence. "Flying mint bunny?" Ludwig repeated, craning his neck to look up, trying to catch sight of the creature in vain. He followed the Italian's lead and stood up, though. He felt a weight leave his pocket as he did so. He looked down to see he had dropped his wallet.

"Ve~ one of England's creatures, just-" The Italian glanced around anxiously, making sure the coast was still clear. "We really need to leave. Now."

"Go where? And who are you anyway?" Ludwig asked as he leant down to pick up his wallet with the hand that wasn't occupied by the Italian's grasp. He hadn't thought to take his hand back, for if anything, the gesture was reassuring in his current situation. The little (though he wasn't 'that' little, perhaps just lithe) Italian had been nothing but kind to him so far, and the boy obviously knew more about this place than he did, so Ludwig felt that it was safe to trust him.

"Call me Italy." The Italian replied apprehensively as he tugged on Ludwig's arm. "Adeso, per favore; we have to go!"

And with that, they broke out into a run, and Ludwig couldn't believe how fast they were moving; like everything else in this place, it was completely unnatural. The scenery around them blurred into lines of colour, and he could only clearly see what was in front of them.

Italy led him down a dark alleyway full tilt toward a latched door, which worried Ludwig. He wondered if they would be able to stop in time at the velocity they were going, but then watched perplexed as, with a swift flick of Italy's wrist, the latch was undone and the door burst open for them. They barreled through it, quickly making their way down a set of wooden stairs and into a storage room full of non-perishable goods. The storage room soon gave way to a meat cellar full of giant fish and other livestock that Ludwig had never seen before. At the end of the cellar was a freezer and another locked door, but with another wave of the Italian's hand, that door too was inexplicably opened for them. That door led out into a more open area, and on further examination Ludwig was able to identify it as a pig pen.

Wait...a pig pen?

A pang of horror clutched at his chest as he saw rows and rows of swine, and he wondered where his brother was. Had Gilbert really turned into a pig? Well, with everything else that had happened, it seemed likely. What had happened to him then? Ludwig pulled his gaze forward, away from the livestock, to focus instead on the auburn hair in front of him- flying in all directions from how fast they were running.

His name was Italy? How strange… Come to think, Italy had said the creature-the mint bunny- that had been looking for him belonged to someone called England. So strange, yet he supposed everything in this world was going to be strange. Dream or not, it did not appear he was going to wake up anytime soon, so he might as well take things seriously.

At least, as seriously as he could.

"Where are we?" Ludwig asked when they finally stopped running; he hadn't been able to keep up with the blur around him.

But he didn't need Italy to answer. He gazed up at the bathhouse from the other side of the bridge, and then watched as 'things' walked across the bridge to enter it.

"What is this place..." he breathed, watching as creatures unfathomable walked by, some with masks, others with extra limbs, all of which had faded, transparent bodies. The longer he looked at them though, the more solid the seemed to appear.

Italy glanced back at Ludwig. "This is the spirit world." He answered bluntly; not having the luxury at the moment to break this news to the German delicately. "Ve~ Now listen to me, this is important: you need to hold your breath as we cross that bridge. You're invisible to them right now, but one tiny breath and the spell that I cast will be broken and everyone will see you. Do you understand?" He waited for the German to nod before proceeding.

They entered the crowd of spirits and began to walk the up the short cobblestone expanse that lead to the bridge. There were two young men with lanterns greeting patrons as they walked by. One of them had chin length brunet hair and the other one blond; they both had thick Slovak accents. Italy smiled and waved at the men two when they addressed him.

"Ciao, Lithuania and Poland! I'm back from my mission~" The two nodded to the Italian and greeted him.

"Welcome back Mr. Italy!"

"Like totally good to be seeing you."

They were approaching the bridge, and Italy squeezed Ludwig's hand reassuringly. His voice was a sheer whisper when he spoke "Alright, take a deep breath… and hold it."

And so Ludwig inhaled, then held it as they stepped onto the bridge. He let his thoughts wander, trying to keep his mind off of holding his breath. Spirit world, huh? So these things crossing the bridge were spirits? Did that make Italy a spirit too then? He marveled silently, literally breathlessly, as the now-deemed spirits walked beside them, all heading toward the bathhouse.

He was half way across the bridge when he noticed something out of place.

There was one spirit standing off to the side by the railing, watching as the others passed. It looked humanoid-maybe, though it was draped in the darkest blue, and wore mask that covered its entire face. The mask had strange light blue markings, and a plain, emotionless face with a little dot near the mouth, what looked like glasses painted under the depthless eyes, and a swirl at the top.

Ludwig could have sworn the masked spirit could see him, the way it turned as they passed it. He brought his free hand up to his mouth- he wouldn't be able to hold his breath for much longer.

"Almost there, you can do this." Italy whispered noticing the blond's distress. They were almost to the other side of the bridge! But then a tall, tanned-skinned fellow dipped passed the curtains hanging in the entrance and made a beeline for the Italian. He had dark curly hair and bright green eyes that sparkled with the way he was smiling, and he placed his hands on Italy's shoulders in a warm greeting. That of course meant that they were, unfortunately, stopped in their tracks.

"Hola, Italy! Where have you guys been? I can't find Roma anywhere." The man spoke in a thick Spanish accent.

Before anything else could be said, Ludwig's lung capacity reached its limit. Italy watched the Spaniards eyes go wide as the German let out a stifled gasp.

"What? A huma-"

But Italy didn't allow the man to finish his sentence. Instead, he cast an orb of disorient before his eyes, which would momentarily delay any of the Spaniard's actions, and then ducked down, swiftly phasing himself and Ludwig past a group of greeter girls to hide in a nearby courtyard.

They nestled behind a bush of camellias, and it wasn't long before they heard the frantic scattering of employees from inside the bath house. A lot of "A human-there's a human here!" and "Where is Mr. Italy? Mr. Italy!"

Italy made a small humming noise under his breath as he watched the panicked silhouettes of the employees through the screen. "Looks like they all know you're here."

"My apologies..." Ludwig grumbled, upset with himself. "I should have been able to hold my breath longer than that." The German also watched the silhouettes through the screen. "They're looking for you." he stated the obvious. He frowned as a new thought occurred to him; it was more than apparent that humans were rare here. Judging by all the ruckus, it was kind of a big deal.

His eyes drifted from the screen to appraise the Italian crouched beside him. Would Italy get in trouble for helping him? Somehow, the thought of the kind boy being reprimanded unsettled him.

"You should go to them. No need to risk your neck for me." he muttered. '-a complete stranger, no less.' he added in the back of his mind.

Italy however, rest his hand on the German's shoulder, rubbing it in a soothing gesture. "No Ludwig, you did very well, and don't be ridiculous, I'm not going to abandon you." The Italian flashed him a reassuring smile before his brows knitted in concern again. "But I'm afraid you can't stay here, they'll find you, and you won't be able to rescue your brother. Ve~ Don't worry, I'll go in and create a diversion so you can escape. Really though, you don't need to worry about me."

Ludwig seriously doubted that he would be able to 'not' worry about the Italian, but any protest he had died in his throat as a forehead suddenly collided with his. "What-"

"Look." Italy interrupted.

And so Ludwig locked on to the amber hues, and even though he could see them clearly- the way the golden flecks glittered in the dim glow from the screened walls, making it appear as if Italy's eyes were molten, alive- he could see other things too. A gate, an old wooden staircase, and a door...it dawned on Ludwig that Italy was giving him directions just as the smaller spoke.

"This is what you have to do." Italy informed in a hushed whisper, and Ludwig could have sworn that he could feel the latter's breath on his lips. "When it calms down, go out through the back gate and all the way down the stairs to the boiler room, where they stoke the you'll find China, the boiler man."

"China?" 'Does everyone here have a Nation's name?' Ludwig wondered.

"Si. Tell him you want to work here, and even if he refuses you, you must insist. Ve~...If you don't get a job, England will turn you into an animal. Probably a unicorn, he likes those."

"England...the owner of that mint bunny?" Ludwig wasn't going to forget the words 'mint' and 'bunny' being used in the same sentence anytime soon. Or the fact that said creature could fly. The spirit world was weird.

"You'll see." Italy continued. "He's the wizard that rules over the bathhouse. Anyway, China will try to turn you away or trick you into leaving, but just keep asking for work, ok? It'll be hard work, but you'll be able to stay here, and then even England can't harm you!" he finally pulled away, smiling.

The smile faltered, however, when he heard more people calling out for him. "I have to go, and don't forget Ludwig, I'm your friend!"

And then, Ludwig noticed something he hadn't earlier. "Wait, how did you know my name? I don't recall ever telling you...?"

At this, Italy smiled again, and even gave out a gleeful chuckle. "Ve~ I've known you since you were very small. Good luck, and whatever you do, don't make a sound." he warned.

And then Italy did something Ludwig could never have prepared for in all his twenty years; he leaned over and placed a quick kiss on either side of his face. The German sat there, paralyzed, his mind whirring, trying to comprehend what had just taken place as Italy stood up and walked around the camellias bush toward a side entrance in the screen. "Calm down, I'm here!"

The door slid open at once, allowing him in. "Master Italy, England wants to see you."

"I know, it's about the mission, si?"

Ludwig listened as the voices faded away, still sat where Italy left him, his cheeks burning.


End file.
